The Chicago Bears don’t necessarily need to upgrade at running back, but one more addition to the position group is among the more likely personnel moves for the franchise this summer.
Starter D’Andre Swift is just 26 years old and only two years removed from a Pro-Bowl campaign with the Philadelphia Eagles. He has two seasons left on a three-year, $24 million contract he inked with the Bears ahead of the 2024 campaign and produced nearly 1,350 yards from scrimmage and six total TDs last season.
The flip side is that Swift put up a career-low 3.8 yards per carry in his first year in Chicago. New Bears head coach Ben Johnson was also part of the Detroit Lions coaching staff that traded Swift to the Eagles a couple years back to create space for a two-pronged RB attack featuring Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
Roschon Johnson’s mediocre production and history of concussions over two seasons in the NFL, along with all the context mentioned above, led to a suggestion from Mike Pendleton of Bears Wire on Tuesday, June 17, that Chicago pursue a reunion between its head coach and former Lions running back Jamaal Williams.
“In the best year of his career, Jamaal Williams rushed for 1,066 yards and scored 17 rushing touchdowns with the Detroit Lions, where Ben Johnson was his offensive coordinator,” Pendleton wrote. “The team has long been connected to multiple veteran free agents at the running back position, but none have the connection to Johnson like Williams does. Adding Williams would also reunite him with D’Andre Swift, who shared a backfield with Williams in Detroit, bringing even more familiarity to Johnson’s offense in his first year with Chicago.”
Jamaal Williams Appears to Be Nearing End of NFL Career
GettyFormer Detroit Lions running back Jamaal Williams.
Williams got his start as a fourth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers back in 2017.
He played four seasons with Detroit’s NFC North Division rivals before joining the Lions in 2021. Williams played two years in Detroit, and his 17 rushing TDs in 2022 — Johnson’s first year as the team’s offensive coordinator — led the league.
Williams departed the following offseason for a three-year contract worth $12 million from the New Orleans Saints. He played there for two seasons, appearing in 27 games but earning just five starts. He tallied just 470 rushing yards (3.1 yards per carry) and two rushing TDs in New Orleans, as well as 27 receptions for 119 receiving yards.
The Saints released Williams this offseason and he remains a free agent as of mid-June. If he finds his way onto a roster in 2025, Williams will play this upcoming season — his ninth in the NFL — at the age of 30.
Bears Pursued Running Back Nick Chubb in Free Agency
GettyFormer Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb.
Signing Williams wouldn’t be a home run move by the Bears, though it could make sense as a chemistry and depth play on offense.
The two running backs behind Swift and Johnson on the roster are seventh-round draft pick Kyle Monangai and Travis Homer.
Chicago pursued former Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb this offseason before he ultimately signed a one-year deal to join the Houston Texans.
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